Border Battle

June 3, 1985

SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA — Nicaraguan soldiers fired mortars across their southern border, moved into Costa Rica and opened fire on its Civil Guardsmen, Costa Rica has charged. Killed in the Friday attack: At least one Civil Guardsman. Wounded: Nine others. Col. Oscar Vidal, director of the 5,000-man Civil Guard, said the guardsmen were in the area 70 miles north of San Jose to report on fighting between Sandinista troops and contras. Nicaragua denied the charges. Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega: ''The dangerous accusations of the Costa Rican government seem to correlate with the U.S. strategy to create artificial conflicts.''